Padmaavat release: The stakes are high, but very achievable..

By HT

The Supreme Court, on Thursday, declared that Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s controversial film Padmaavat will release pan-India. That paved the way for the film to release in all states, including the ones where it was banned.

The ruling immediately gave the exhibitors the confidence to allot more than 4000 screens to Padmaavat. In Indian markets, number of screens is directly proportional to the film’s collection. In addition to it, the hype around Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh starrer is on all time high.

Now, Akshay Kumar has declared that he won’t release his film PadMan on the same date that is January 25. Trade pundits were expecting that PadMan would also be given close to 1200 screens. However, the clash is averted now, and the focus has totally shifted to Padmaavat.

Trade analyst Atul Mohan explains the market situation. He says, “The stakes are high, but very achievable. The budget is Rs 180 crore. Now, it’s releasing solo, so the makers must be looking at 4000+ screens, but that can happen only with the exhibitors’ support.”

This is still a tricky situation because the recently released Tiger Zinda Hai has shown us that the film needs to have a packed cinema hall run for more than 7 days to achieve such targets.

Salman Khan’s film earned Rs 106 crore at the end of first week when there was a mostly positive word of mouth and no security threat. Padmaavat doesn’t only need a more than Rs 35 crore opening, it also needs a sustainable momentum.

Atul Mohan says, “The film is going to register good footfall, probably people won’t even wait for the reviews.”

Despite such eagerness, the film will have to satisfy the audiences creatively. With so many suggested cuts and safe filmmaking, will it not be difficult for Bhansali to achieve this? He has mostly relied on the grandeur of his sets and star value of his projects. These two things are there, but can he be sure about its entertainment value and engaging content?

Atul Mohan says, “That’s like doubting Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s vision. He is one of the finest makers we have today. Post Raam Leela, his vision has only become grander. The so much hype has been created around the film that everybody is waiting for it to be released.”

Everything said and done, Bhansali will desperately need the viewers’ favour, but that will happen only when he comes with intriguing content. In a way, the spectators will also be weighing in his talent as a director? Will he succeed?